"Picky Details" for the HP PhotoSmart R707 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the HP PhotoSmart R707:

Power

The HP R707 for some reason refused to operate from the lab-bench power supply I use to measure digicam power consumption with, so I couldn't perform my usual detailed measurements. A simple run-down test showed a worst-case run time of 100 minutes, in capture mode with the LCD turned on. Given that the R707 is very aggressive about turning its display off when not in use, actual run times will likely be a fair bit longer. Still, my usual recommendation that you purchase a second battery right along with the R707 stands: Digicam batteries very much obey Murphy's Law, always petering out at the worst possible moment.

Storage Capacity

The HP Photosmart stores its photos in approximately 27MB of internal memory or on SD/MMC memory cards, but no memory card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the internal memory at each size/quality setting.